With apologies to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who could legitimately take this honor every week, Malcolm Brogdon just put together stellar performances off the bench. While Antetokounmpo and his Big 3 cohorts of Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe reprised their usual roles in keeping the team on a steady course, Brogdon injected the extra push that kept last Saturday's game in Houston close and helped Milwaukee claim victories over the Cavaliers and Hornets. He nailed 3 three-pointers and scored 20 points against the Rockets, put up 11 of his 16 points in the second quarter against the Cavaliers to give the Bucks a big lead before making a crucial corner trey in the fourth quarter. On Friday, he continued his solid play with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Hornets. Over the past three games, he's made 9 of 15 three-pointers (60%) while averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

BUCKS LOOK AHEAD

The Bucks don't have games on Christmas Eve or Christmas, but in return for that gift, they'll play three games in four nights immediately after the holiday. First they host the Chicago Bulls for the second time in two weeks on Tuesday as they look to avenge their 115-109 loss on Dec. 15. That game was part of Chicago's seven-game win streak, which was snapped Thursday in Cleveland. Following that game against the Bulls, the Bucks will face the Timberwolves for the first time this season at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Thursday before traveling to Oklahoma City for their second and final matchup of the seaosn with the Thunder on Friday. Entering Saturday, those two teams were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Western Conference, with the Thunder being one of the hotter teams in the league having won 9 of their past 12 games.

Brogdon on LeBron James following Milwaukee's 119-116 win over Cleveland on Tuesday night:

"You know, you gotta respect him. You just can't be scared of him. I think a lot of people are scared, they play scared, I don't think Giannis or any of us played scared tonight."

TOP NBA PLAYER

The Rockets lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season, but those results didn't stem from a lack of output from star guard James Harden. Harden, one of the clear MVP front-runners, scored 51 points in Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and reached that same point total on Friday in a defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers. His back-to-back 50-plus point performances marked the first time anyone had accomplished that feat since Kobe Bryant scored 50-plus in four consecutive games in 2007. Harden's 50-point games were his second and third of the season, more than the rest of the NBA combined.

TOP NBA TEAM

With the Boston Celtics going through a rough patch and the Cavaliers' win streak coming to an end, the Toronto Raptors are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. They've won five in a row and 11 of their past 12 heading into Saturday's game to quietly creep into the No. 2 spot in the East with a 22-8 record. DeMar DeRozan has been stellar this season, averaging 24.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. During three games over the past week, DeRozan has looked like a different player with 31.3 points per game, including 45 on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers, while making 9 of 14 three-pointers. A career 28.4% three-point shooter, DeRozan shot from long range with confidence, going 3 of 4 in a win over the Hornets and 6 of 9 against the 76ers.

NBA QUOTE

Former Bucks forward Michael Beasley scored 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting to lead the New York Knicks to a 102-93 win over the Celtics on Thursday. Afterward, he was asked when he started feeling the hot hand:

“Jan. 9, 1989,” Beasley replied, referring to the day he was born. “As humbly as I can say it, I just feel like every shot is going in.”

This week, all eyes around the NBA were on Los Angeles for Monday night's game between the Lakers and Warriors. Well, the game was the undercard for the main event, which was the retiring of former Lakers great Kobe Bryant's Nos. 8 and 24.

It was an impressive, over-the-top affair, which is entirely fitting considering the man being honored. Bryant's incredible talent and personality were larger than life almost beginning early in his 20 seasons with the Lakers.

The fact that both of his numbers were retired is the perfect final flourish. Granted, as Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss said during the ceremony, if you split Bryant's career up by number, both his No. 8 and No. 24 probably would have merited retirement on their own.

To tie this back to Milwaukee, if Bryant can have two jerseys retired, isn't it about time Marques Johnson got his No. 8 — just one number — up in the rafters? The former Bucks star turned broadcaster played his first seven NBA seasons in Milwaukee, earning four all-star nods (two starts) and averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assistd, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks.

In the Bucks' 50-year history, Johnson ranks third in rebounds (3,293), fourth in points per game and field-goal percentage (53.0%), sixth in points (10,980) and steals (697), eighth in blocks (439) and ninth in assists (1,934). He did all that for a team that made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons.

It shouldn't be hard to find Johnson considering he's part of the Bucks' broadcast team and I don't think he'd require all the hoopla that surrounded Bryant's jerseys retirement. So what are they waiting for?